The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-09-02
Friday, Sept. z, 1857.

The candidates for legislative honors
should apply themselves to studying
the questions which will engage the
time of the next legislature. of the
six who aspire to help make laws for
the state we dare say that only one of
them, DR.. Mackall, has ever given the
matter serious thought. When men
are likely to be called to do piece OF
work on private account, their hrst
thought is to acquire knowledge OF
the work and the manner of doing it,
but if called to some public official po-
sition they seldom give themselves
any trouble to become acquainted with
its duties before entering on them.
Having entered OH those duties in pro
found ignorance of their requirements,
they are helpless IS children and be-
come the easy victims of designing
Dersons who have the knowledge, sell
it to interested parties and contro! their
ignorant conferrees. This Is mainly the
reason for so much bad legislation,
The large majority of men who are
sent to fill.legislative halls know abso-
]utely nothing of the business they are
elected to transact. A few possess the
knowledge. and knowledge is much SUI
nerior to numbers. Too many of those
who do know are ready to sell out to
the lobby. and hence the passage of
hundreds of laws which never should
have found place on the statute
books. -,
The "civil service reform" should
be carried much further than prescrIo,
ing the appointment of few federal
officers. 1t should also extend to every
elective.office in both state and nation,
and the candidate who could not pass
the prescribed examination should be
effectually debarre1 and adJudged incl
igible to election to law making Of
flee as an aspirant to teach pubic
school who is too ignorant to secure
certificate from the examiner. 1gnor-
.nce is the curse of the elective fran
thise of this country, but it would not
I've so damaging if it were oeoarred
from entering our legislative bodies to
pass laws fer the government OF the
people. The man who has not the
ability or inclination to qualify him
self for the service should be debarred
from becoming q hypothetical law
maker.
This train of reasoning is not intend
ed to apply specially to the candidates
who have been chosen to occupy
place in the next legislature of Mary
land, but our argument is against
general evil which exists. There are
very imnortant measures to be acted
npon by the next legislature of Mary
land. and upon the action of that body
will largely depend the welfare of the
industrial interests of the state; and it
is of vital importance that men who
are chosen to deal with those import
ant legislative problems should make
themselves familiar with them in ad-
vance as far as possible. The associa-
lion which has under consideration a
revision of the tax laws will meet in
Baltimore this month, "wednesday
14th insC.) and every candidate who
aspire to legislative honors and trust
should attend that meeting and learn
all he possibly can of the subject of
such vital interest to the public welfare.
There are many subjects collateral to
the foregoing which will be discussed
and reported upon by committees APP
pointed at previous meetings to collect
Information concerning them, that
will be presented to and considered by
the members, and candidates, if they
have any desire to be informed will at
tend this meeting. Intelligence and
capabiIity should be made the test of
candidates, and net popular good fell
lOwship. which has heretofore been the
sine qua non for selection for important
public trusts. Generally this class of
men are the poorest sticks for practical
business that can be found. Neither is
it an evidence that man is capable of
managing public business because he
has been successful farmer, success
fill merchant or successful mechanic.
If he has studied this one thing only
to the exclusion of all others he is quail
flied only to successfully pursue that
business, and proves as helpless as a
child when faced by other duties of a
pu bic nature.